Sierra Leone Telegraph: 18 December 2018:
The vice president of Sierra Leone – Dr. Mohammed Juldeh Jalloh was in Kono in the eastern province of Sierra Leone, last Sunday, where he attended a conference about how best to bring much needed development to the people of Kono.
The theme of the conference which was held at the Diamond Lodge, was: “Understanding the Past, Marking the Challenges and Shaping the Future.”
Also attending the event were the Paramount Chiefs and The Mayor of Koidu – New Sembehun City, key stakeholders, Kono descendants from the diaspora, and residents of the district.
The keynote speech was delivered by vice president Dr. Mohammed Juldeh Jalloh. He spoke about the current state of governance in Sierra Leone, citing the very poor leadership inherited by the SLPP government, whilst highlighting the culture of entrenched corruption in the country.
He spoke also about the flagship projects of the present government led by president Julius Maada Bio, and called for the support of the people of Kono and indeed the entire country.
Jalloh told the people of Kono that president Bio wishes them well and wants to see them prosper, and gave them this message from president Bio: “Kono people should begin to think about Kono beyond diamond mining”.
The president he said, wants the people of Kono to focus their energies on other sustainable economic sectors, such as agriculture, education, sustainable energy, and tourism.
He emphasized that the Government is working towards improving and diversifying the country’s economy so as to achieve sustainable growth and create jobs.
He encouraged the people of Kono to therefore use the Kono development conference to establish a meaningful and positive dialogue on the development of the district.
He said that the conference must be used as a way of bringing Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora back home, to add to the country’s human resources, which he said will help in speeding up the country’s development process and increase prosperity for all.
Kono has been the backbone of our economy. Kono produced hundreds of Millionaires, yet it is the least developed District in Sierra Leone. What a shame.